I was sick of GAA, admits AFL export Mooney

Former Down star Caolan Mooney felt he was “used” by the GAA and admits he grew “sick” of the game before leaving for Australian Rules.

Mooney secured a professional contract with AFL side Collingwood on the back of his progress as a GAA player with his native county and made his debut Down Under this year.

The 19-year-old isn’t sorry he left his native game behind and has hit out strongly at Association officials whom he alleges are making a “clean fortune” out of All-Ireland finals at the expense of amateur players.

Mooney wasn’t involved in the 2010 final that Down contested with Cork but believes those who did compete were essentially taken advantage of.

“It’s at the point where you train professionally but you don’t get any money for it,” said Mooney. “They bring in all these trainers who train the boys professionally and get paid but the players get nothing. They’re just being used. It’s far too much for an amateur sport. They’re making a clean fortune out of the All-Ireland final, packing over 82,000 into Croke Park. Even Championship games, they make a fortune. They’re making heaps of money but where does it go? Senior players come home from work and they then have to go training. They might get some fuel money at the end of the month but that’s the height of it.”

Mooney ultimately believes that the GAA should start paying their players “instead of losing them”.

If they don’t, he reckons other players could end up growing to resent the game, like he did before he was cherry-picked by oval ball scouts.

“When I was playing school football, I would come straight from school to train with the club or county,” added Mooney.

“I did that for two years and didn’t get a break so I was like, ‘I’m sick of this’. I got to the stage where I didn’t even want to play Gaelic football anymore.”